AIBU to name a school that has offered more places than it should?

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Round where I live (South London), there's a private school that's limited to 505 places by the local authority - but got itself more than 50 pupils over the limit back in 2018. They didn't let the Council know this had happened: someone else dobbed them in.

The people living close by hate the extra traffic, so they're pushing back.

The whole mess is out for decision by the council, but could take months to work out, what with appeals and the rest.

The school is having open mornings/evenings over the next few weeks.

AIBU to want to say who the school is, so prospective parents know what they're getting into? Or should I leave it to council planing to sort it out?

Say it where??

How can a school be limited to places? All the schools I know can take as many as they can fit, most have fluctuating capacity. Is there a bylaw that limits the places? You know no one will give a shit if its a good school? more parents mean more school income. The parents will be driving in, they wont give a toss about residents.

Private schools can take as many as they want. No rules.

There are planning consent rules for permitted development which can include maximum number on the site.

I might be able to guess the school. Recently applied for yet more planning permission? If so, it's very over developed for the size and location of site and I'm not surprised residents find it a nuisance.

Fire regulations often limit a buildings capacity.

Of course there are limits to places in schools Thinker.

DD's old school is oversubscribed. In fact they are extending the school so that they can accept more pupils.

Do you mean name them here, or on local Facebook or something?

I would - if I was a parent considering it then I’d want to know they’re taking more pupils than allowed.

The limit on numbers is presumably because of building regs/fire safety so it would concern me if that’s being ignored.

All state schools have a Published Admission Number for Year 7. They can only offer places up to the PAN in the admissions round. The PAN is based on a calculation of floor space and resources I believe. An admissions appeal panel can admit pupils over PAN subject to certain criteria.

Are you absolutely sure they’v Done this? Did the extra children win a place on appeal? Schools have to accept appeal winners, whether they’re over their statutory number or not.

User - it's a private school, they do not have a PAN nor are they bound by the Admissions Code.

They are however bound by permitted development limits and fire regs.

I thought state schools could only admit up to pan for the initial intake but can go over pan in year/through appeals?

The only limit would be fire regs, I strongly suspect they haven't actually broken laws, more that neighbours are nimby's

there's a private school that's limited to 505 places by the local authority

How is it limited by the local authority when the Council will have nothing to do with the school?! Not one of the miffed neighbours are you OP?

Assuming even half of that extra 50 get there by car, that's an extra 25 cars on top of (again for argument's sake, half the previous total of students) 250.

And that's not taking into account anyone car sharing, siblings etc.

I'd be surprised if any of the local residents noticed an extra 10% of cars without sitting by the window and counting them...

Why aren't you grateful that they're taking kids out of the state system?

I don’t understand why you haven’t named the school? It’s just a fact that x school
Is going through some legal (?) stuff with the council about the number of pupils they have.

I don't think you could 'feel' an extra fifty kids and realistically it's not fifty cars either - is this.a primary or secondary?

If it's secondary, kids will make their own way.

It happens all the time where I'm from. Schools offer places to parents with money. They may claim to be oversubscribed but yet they still seem to be able to fit in all the Drs, Lawyers and accountants children. Hmmm

I used to live near a growing private school whose clients use surrounding narrow residential streets to park - you saw the increasing difference in the traffic with the ever-increasing sharpness of contrast between term and holiday time traffic.

Often an independent school's registration is limited by the DfE (not the LA). So there is a cap on the total number of pupils that a school is registered for.

Every private school will have a maximum number of pupils that the DFE allow it to admit. These maximum numbers are published on the dfe ‘information about schools’ page. For instance, Eton’s is 1325, just looked it up on the dfe website. They are also restricted to the age of pupils, sex of pupils, boarding or not etc.

To go beyond these limits, they need to apply for something called a ‘material change’ to the Dfe with reasons. This often triggers a one-off short inspection to see if their proposed change is reasonable.

They shouldn’t just go over their max number and in the worst case, their dfe registration can be revoked.

YANBU. Do tell.

Yep I want to know !!!

Bessica yes absolutely sure they've done this. Is a private school so not bound by appeal procedures of that type.

ChicCroissant it's normal for private schools to have some kind of limit on numbers set by the Council that is lower than the DfE cap if planning decide that local transport can't handle a higher number well (which was the reason in this case).

AsTheWorldTurns it's a secondary. The schools response to being dobbed in has been to apply to expand even further so we are actually talking well over 100 extra pupils.

I still don't understand the dilemma. If you're sure you've got the facts correct surely you can tell whoever you want about it.